One easy answer POWER, Like or not we are fast becoming like medieval Europe all over again, Kings, Lords, Dukes, surfs. A good example is Joe Kennedy look at how he really made his money, running booze during prohibition and look where his family went, the family(s) out here in power did the same types of things all the way back to the 1800's then add that to the fact the US didn't have income tax until after WW1, and drug running didn't become super profitable until prohibition days.
The people that could do things were the property owners (land, business, mining, manufacturing) how do you control property owners TAXES and regulation, how do you control taxes get elected into office use peoples energy to make them think you are doing what's best for "the people" Until you tax people that own the land, business, manufacturing so that they either have to sell off small parts at a time until there is not a problem for politicians to control, divide and conquer! OR you fund(contracts/public works) the people that got you in power so you stay that way, in LA we have the LADWP(department or water and power) talk about a mafia but they can do whatever they want because they donate BIG money to the local politicians even though they are a government entity
These people/families have the monarchy mentality and no matter what happens they will always be in power or in the shadows until they are eliminated or the family gets so fractured they dissolve into nothing.
Most people like us(real-man members, military, working, true public servants) try to make life better for the whole and defend what we have and make people that threaten this too not consume oxygen anymore!
These clowns only care about themselves/family's.
I know there is more to the picture and I have way over simplified here.
